SST: Integrated Manufacturing for Millimeterwave Sensing Systems

该传感器小型团队(SST)奖的研究目标是研究小型化毫米波系统的集成制造工艺。团队成员将共同致力于低成本、批量制造、小型化和集成毫米波系统的创新工艺，用于传感、成像和通信应用。该系统前端基于电控毫米波波束形成器结构，采用新的制造方法，利用微机械加工技术批量制造包括天线、分路器、移相器、波导和无源组件在内的三维射频结构。整个系统架构由三个倒装芯片键合物理层组成：天线层、传输线层和电路层。天线层作为垂直集成平台，具有高增益和高耦合效率的喇叭天线阵列。将建立几个使塑料微制造工艺成为可能的模块，包括塑料成型、压花、机械抛光、组装和粘合工艺。低成本的高功率毫米波前端将创造一系列新的传感应用，例如帮助消防员透过烟雾看清烟雾的视镜，增强汽车和飞机在雾天的安全的移动雷达，通过光谱分析检测化学和生物制剂，以及便携式宽带通信系统。新的微制造工艺将使一般的微电子机械系统社区受益，以激励新设备的开发。制造(机械工程)和高频设备(电气工程)之间的研究互动和集成的协同作用将成为下一代科学家和工程师研究专业知识多学科融合的引擎。

The research goal of this Sensor Small Team (SST) award is to investigate integrated manufacturing processes for miniaturized millimeter wave systems. The team members are to jointly work on innovative processes toward low-cost, batch-fabricated, miniaturized and integrated millimeter wave systems for sensing, imaging and communication applications. The system front-end is based on the electronically-controlled millimeter wave beam-former architectures with new manufacturing approaches utilizing micromachining techniques to fabricate three-dimensional radio-frequency structures including antennas, splitters, phase shifters, waveguides and passive components in a batch fashion. The overall system architecture consists of three flip-chip bonded physical layers: antenna, transmission-line and circuit layers. The antenna layer serves as a vertical integration platform that has a horn antenna array with high gain and coupling efficiency. Several enabling plastic micro-manufacturing process modules are to be established, including plastic molding, embossing, mechanical polishing, assembly and bonding processes. The low-cost high-power millimeter wave front-ends will create a wide range of novel sensing applications such as vision goggles that assist firefighters to see through smoke, mobile radars that enhance safety in foggy weather for automobiles and airplanes, chemical and biological agent detection by spectrometry and portable broadband communication systems. The new micro manufacturing processes will benefit the general Microelectromechanical Systems community to inspire new device development. The synergy of research interaction and integration between manufacturing (mechanical engineering) and high frequency devices (electrical engineering) will be an engine for the multidisciplinary fusion in research expertise for the next-generation scientists and engineers.